About Tim Burt

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Psalms 18:50 “Great deliverance gives He to his king; and shows mercy to His anointed, to David, and to his descendants forevermore”

Have you ever made a mess of things? Are you laughing at the question thinking, “Only about a zillion times.” I think we all have. What do we do in times where we’ve blown it and made a mess? I can tell you what I do. I ask God to “bless my mess.”

I am confident of many things. One is of my deep imperfection because of the sin that has touched my life and the world around me. Oh I am fully aware, thankful, and confident in the precious blood of Jesus that has washed my sins away. I am also fully aware that God has given me His Holy Spirit which empowers me to say no to the devil and temptation. I instead think about the Lord’s love and work to bring it to others. His Holy Spirit helps me understand God’s will and draw strength for every area of my life from the promises of God that His Word says are my inheritance through Christ Jesus.

Ephes. 1:11-14 (NLT) says it best like this: “Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as He decided long ago. God's purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago. The Spirit is God's guarantee that He will give us everything He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.”

So, on one hand I live in a world corrupted and defiled by sin. On the other hand I have been forgiven and washed clean and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit and the promises of Him that are my inheritance. This means I am ready each day to go out and be a light and a winner for Him.

Now as I go out in the world, I have to deal with people that can be mean and cold and that even do evil things. I have to deal with people that lie and cheat and steal to better their own position. I have to work with and try and trust that people are going to do what they say they are as I employ their services. I have to drive along side of angry people filled with rage on the road. Because I do, even though I am washed, forgiven, and filled with God’s Spirit; they sometimes affect my behavior. I act like them. I sometimes say things I regret. I am saying that I occasionally blow it. Sometimes just by making a stupid mistake. Do I like to admit this? Of course not, but it’s true.

Each time I try to pick myself back up, apologize to the Lord and anyone else I should apologize to, and move forward. This is something I hope we all do.

I can honestly say that in the places that I blow it, they are never out of malicious or sinful intent. I have changed my life in that way. I don’t purposely or casually sin. It’s more by mistake or getting caught up in the moment. In times like that, any of us we can make a mess.

I told you of the things I am confident in God. Another thing I am confident in is that God knows my humanity. He knows my weaknesses, my ignorance, and how I think though things. He knows me! He knows I will make mistakes. What child doesn’t? What person doesn’t? I am confident in God’s mercy. Why? Because that is my Heavenly Father’s character. He is a good Father and He is merciful to those that are trying to live for Him. He is merciful to everyone even when they aren’t living for Him and Jesus is the proof of that statement.

Psalm 103:17-18 says, “But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear (reverence) Him, and His righteousness unto children's children; to such as keep His covenant, and to those that remember His commandments to do them.”

Because I know of His mercy and because I know of His promises – today’s Fresh Manna verse being one of them - “Great deliverance gives He to His king; and shows mercy to His anointed, to David, and to his descendants forevermore." Because of this promise, I know that delivering us from our messes is something He will help us with. If you are a parent, you know you would try to help your children out of any mess they got themselves into if you could. Well God can. This verse says His deliverance is great and it’s to “His anointed” (that’s every believer of Christ) - “to his descendants forevermore” - again that’s me. On that basis, I ask God to “bless my mess.” In other words, I ask Him to get me out of trouble. I do my part. I repent to Him where necessary. I repent and apologize to others where necessary. I make amends where they are needed. Then I trust God to work in the hearts of those that need help forgiving me.

Messes are never fun. But I praise God that I know of His love and His willingness to “bless my mess.”